


Four Steps Past Redemption

by Druddigonite



Series: Azula Week 2019 [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula Week, Azula Week 2019, Gen, probending, this is like 1 month late, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 22:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20199397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Druddigonite/pseuds/Druddigonite
Summary: Day 5 Prompt: Crossover AUAfter Zuko broke his leg, Azula finds herself fighting in a probending tournament with his teammates, Katara and Toph.





	Four Steps Past Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> ...this counts as a crossover right? 
> 
> *hides under bed for being a month late to submitting this*

**. Four Steps Past Redemption .**  
.

.

The windowless walls of the Probending Arena’s waiting room brought on a stifling sense of claustrophobia. They were a yellowed white, with identical doors on opposing sides, one which led to the reception area she came from and the other directly into the arena, with a small changing stall in the middle. Two moth-eaten couches were set against the far wall, a potted plant collecting dust between them. For the famous jewel of Republic City, their player-only areas were surprisingly clinical in appearance.

It wasn’t that Azula hadn’t been here before—no, she’d come plenty of times with her brother, wishing him a devastating failure as he entered the arena door, and feigning surprise when he came back in one piece. Today was different. This time Zuko was not here, and it would be her walking entering the arena. 

She was fiddling with his gear (it was a little loose on her, but nothing that would hinder movement) when she heard the reception door open. 

“So you’re the replacement Sparky sent, huh?” 

Azula looked up to find a rather petite girl clad head to toe in green silks, arms crossed and leaning casually against the wall. She had a shock of black hair that hid most of her face, but when she blew at her bangs, Azula could see milky white eyes behind them. 

This had to be Toph Bei Fong, the earthbender Zuko was talking about. She expected her to be taller, to be honest. 

“I suppose I am,” Azula replied, examining the girl before her. Even in her casual state, Toph’s stance was firm, grounding, and right away Azula knew would have difficulty sweeping her off her feet. Upon further inspection, her arms looked to be solid muscle, not enough to perform most larger feats of earthbending, though looks could be deceiving. “Heard you were the undefeated champion of Earth Rumble for six years before you quit and joined probending.” 

“Yep, that’s me! Got bored of beating earthbenders to pulp, so I came here for more variety.” Toph grinned, striding over and plopping herself down in the other couch, to Azula’s distaste. “Is Sparky doing okay? Last time I saw him, he was screaming bloody murder as the paramedics dragged him away.” 

Azula waved a dismissive hand. “Yes, Zuzu’s fine, he has a habit of being dramatic. His lower leg’s broken and needs a few days to recover, that’s all. I’ve already ran it over with the judges, and they’re letting me sub in for him until he’s fit again.” 

“Oh, that’s good.” Toph leaned back with a sigh of relief. “Sugar Queen—our waterbender, by the way—is also a healer. She’s usually level-headed about this kind of stuff, but something about Sparky’s injury just...shook her. She looked like she’d seen a ghost, and I started getting worried.” 

The door creaked open, and Azula heard the earthbender shift. “Oh, speak of the Koh. Hey Sugar Queen, over here!” 

Oh, was their waterbender here? Azula tore her eyes from the foliage to greet the newcomer, only to face to face with—

_Her._ She was older, clad a blue water tribe parka rather than white mourning dress, though recognizable by her hair loops and striking blue eyes. Their gazes met and suddenly the room felt ten degrees colder. 

Katara breaks the ice with a snarl. 

“What is this she doing here?!”

Toph jumped up as if preparing to placate, but Katara barreled past her and jabs a finger at Azula, who stared unblinkingly ahead. “You’re the bitch who testified for my mother’s murderer!” 

Complete silence. Toph put her hands up in surrender and backed into the wall. 

Azula sighed, shifting further up her seat. She waited a couple moments before speaking. “Councilman Ozai is currently spending a life sentence without parole rotting in jail on charges of child abuse, homicide, and extortion, to name a few. It’s been proven that he killed Kya to keep her husband, Councilman Hakoda, from revealing his malpractices during his time in office. As compensation, your family was given nearly all of Ozai’s property and savings.” 

Katara’s eyes hardened. “So you think we don’t deserve the money, huh? My mom is worth more than ten thousand of Ozai’s dirty savings!” 

“Guys…”

“You misread, I’ve been implying that he’s been rightfully punished for all the crimes he committed—” 

“My dad only wanted to help his city, and what did he get for his troubles? His wife was brutally murdered, and his children were left without a mother. Sokka didn’t eat for a week until Dad had to force food down his throat. We couldn’t even carry out a proper Water Tribe funeral because of what your combustion hitman did to her!”

“Guys!”

“He’s been dealt with by the Avatar. I had no involvement in anything that happened, I was just dragged into the courtroom—”

“You’re certainly not innocent when you lied to give him an alibi!” 

“GUYS!” Toph yelled, loud enough to have both girls flinch away from their heated argument. “Time out for a sec, can we?” 

She blew at her bangs, then addressed Azula. “Zuko specifically sent you. What are you to him?” 

“He’s my older brother.” Azula said, the statement rife with implications. Predictably, Katara flinched, and she turned to her. “You guys are good for him. Most people avoid him simply because he’s the son of Ozai, even though he launched the accusations are what got our father arrested in the first place. I’m glad he’s found people who can look beyond that.” 

Katara hunched her shoulders, terse. “We’ve known Zuko since he ran away from his household, years before the arrest. He’s never held any love for his father. He’s made the right decision. You, however, stayed with the bastard until he got arrested and now you’re just acting all victimizing so you won’t get arrested too.” 

“Katara, _stop._” Toph snapped, voice low this time. She rubbed at her temples. “Azula, you need to explain yourself, but we’ll have to do it after the tournament. It’s starting in less than an hour.” She turned to Katara. “I know this is hard for you, and I’m sorry that all of this is happening, I really am. But Sparky recommended her. I know you know that. I trust Sparky, and I know you do too. He won’t send a monster to be part of our team.”

Katara was still for a moment before deflating, and the temperature of the room rose to normal levels again. 

“I’m going to kill Zuko when he comes back,” she hissed, stomping into the changing stall and slamming the curtains shut with a bang. 

Toph was left eyeing Azula cautiously; while she had defended her, it was clear that the earthbender harbored no affection towards her. “Azula, was it? Normally we’d meet replacements a couple days beforehand to run over strategies and teamwork, but right now we’re in a tournament that’s drawn us for back-to-back rounds, so neither of us could find the time. You know the rules already, right?” 

Azula nodded. “I help Zuzu with his practice as well as coach him on his firebending. Between us two, I have the better firebending.” She neglected to mention just how much better—it was unlikely she’d be using her signature blue flames, as it was public knowledge that Ozai’s daughter was the only one who bent them and she would rather not subject herself to more scorn. Katara, finished changing, stormed past them to leave through the arena door without another word. 

Azula gathered up her gear. “Mind if I change next?”

.  
.

The arena overwhelmed her senses, its lighting blinding, audience deafening. Overhead, the announcer, a rather robust man in a sweeping tailcoat, who was at the tail end of enthusiastically introducing the opposing team.

Azula squinted through her visor to study them. The Black Quarry Boar-Q-Pines (Agni, what a mouthful) approached as three dark silhouettes from the other side of the arena. From the information that Zuko had given her, they were notorious for not pulling their punches, something she could possibly bait and counter. 

“AND THEIR OPPONENTS FOR TODAY, A BUDDING GROUP OF NEWCOMERS LOOKING TO AIM FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. WITH A PERFECT VICTORY STREAK SO FAR, WILL THIS MATCH BE THE ONE TO BREAK IT? GIVE IT UP FOR THE SOUTHERN TEMPLE AIR BISON!” Zuzu’s team had an interesting name, considering there was no airbending in probending. Her brother mentioned the name being a tribute to one of their friends—an airbender, one of the last of his people. “OOON THE RIGHT WE HAVE TOPH, FORMER EARTH RUMBLE CHAMPION!” 

Ever the showoff, Toph slid into the center arena with two earth disks flanking her, making them orbit with simple flicks of her wrist before returning them to their respective chutes. At the same time, she adopted her earthbending stance, legs rooted to the ground and arms firmly in front. The crowd went wild. 

“IN THE CENTER WE HAVE KATARA, MASTER WATERBENDER!” 

Azula watched as Katara summoned a wave that carried her to the center, twisting fluidly as she landed. Her sweeping movements were executed meticulously, with a practice that almost made them seem easy. Despite her animosity, Azula could acknowledge that she was a talented waterbender. 

“UNFORTUNATELY OUR PAL ZUKO HAD HIS LEG BROKEN THE OTHER DAY AND CAN’T JOIN IN ON THE FUN. LUCKILY, HIS TEAM HAS FOUND A SUB IN THE NICK OF TIME. WILL SHE PROVE TO BE A GOOD REPLACEMENT FOR THE PASSIONATE FIREBENDER?”

Azula took that as her cue to join Katara and Toph in the center arena. It seemed that Zuko had neglected to mention her name. Thoughtful of him; Azula had been prepared for backlash in the audience. She took off in a sprint and leaped, performing a fiery flip in the air before landing perfectly on the left side of the arena. Around her, the audience gave a few appreciative cheers. 

“EVERYONE GOOD? STANCES UP, BENDING READY, START!” the announcer cheered, and almost immediately Azula was thrown into the fray. 

A stone disc cut across the arena from the opposing side, but quick as a viper Katara countered it with a water whip. On the other side of the platform, Toph was managing to fend off the advances of both the firebender and the waterbender, using her discs as both shields and missiles. None of them were attacking Azula, likely anticipating that she was the weak point of the trio. 

That was a miscalculation on their part. 

She attacked in a volley of punches and kicks, disabling the earthbender and sending him careening into the next zone. Katara, who’d been fighting rather close to him, leapt back with a hiss. “Watch it!” 

“OHHHH, KIRO’S SENT FLYING INTO THE SECOND ZONE! TEN SECONDS IN, AND THE FIGHT IS GETTING FIERCE!”

_The announcer is too damn loud for his own good._ Azula gritted her teeth and ducked to avoid a stream of water—looks like their opponents were finally paying attention to her—flying towards her head. Now left with only one opponent to deal with, Toph shifted to full offensive and launched a disc at the firebender. It shattered against his helmet and he stumbled back. 

The platform flashed red; an overhead referee blew the whistle and flashed a yellow flag. Toph let out an audible growl as she stepped back a platform. Apparently this wasn’t the first time she had overstepped the game’s limits. 

“FOUL! HEADSHOT FOUL! LAZU, YOU OKAY?” The firebender in question gave a thumbs up, shakily standing on his feet. “TOPH, THIS ISN’T A RUMBLE!” Laughter from the audience. In the corner of her eye, Azula saw Toph clench her fists. 

The Black Quarry Boar-Q-Pines worked together like a well-oiled machine, trading shots and working to distribute defense and offense evenly with little detectable communication. Even with Lazu dazed, the other two managed to cover the slack. Azula's teammates were more independent, attacking and covering with little coordination.

For a former Earth Rumble champion, Toph lived up to her reputation. More than anything, her blows were efficient, timed to strike at exact moments of vulnerability. Her sure-footed movements, the way she stamped her space on the battlefield, gave no indication that she couldn’t see. It seemed that the metal arena platform transmitted vibrations as well as dirt and earth did. 

Katara was a demon on the battlefield, weaving between attacks with a determined look on her face. As someone who idealized herself and her family as do-gooders, she was surprisingly brutal in combat, knocking Lazu back before he could catch his breath. A geyser of water hit her in the gut and she stumbled back, though not off the zone. Her retaliation was fierce; two lashes at the ankles that made him lose his balance, one pushing into his chest. The waterbender stumbled back just as Azula and Toph’s combined efforts pushed Kiro (who hit hard but couldn’t fend off two master benders) into zone three. 

This time, the platform flashed green, giving Azula spots on her vision. The announcer was yelling out a signal to advance, so she followed, joining Toph and Katara on the Black Quarry’s side of the arena. Lazu and the waterbender were in Zone Two, while Kiro stood at the brink of Zone Three. 

A split second later, the fight resumed. Azula was still trying to clear her vision (she didn’t know how Zuko did it, she was fighting more against the stage lights than the benders) when a disc crumbled against her shoulder and she skidded back into her team’s zone. 

She leaped up just in time to avoid a water whip at her feet. Ahead, Katara and Toph were putting pressure on their opponents, streams of water and earth and fire dancing between them. They managed to work together to repel the waterbender back with his earthbending teammate. 

“ANOTHER BLACK QUARRY-ER PUSHED BACK, TWO BENDERS IN THE FINAL ZONE AND ONLY ONE IN THE SECOND! SOUTHERN TEMPLE SEEMS TO BE ADVANCING AND DOING GOOD FOR THEMSELVES, BUT BQ STILL HAS ALL THEIR PLAYERS! CAN OUR FORMER CHAMPIONS FIGHT BACK?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Azula noticed Kiro launching a disc, eyes trained on Katara. Shouting would be futile in the din of the crowd, so she opted for the more straightforward way: launching a flaming red fireball to intercept the attack. 

The good news was that it saved Katara from being hit by rocks. The bad news was that the collision happened right in front of her, distracting her enough to get pushed back a zone. 

“OHHHH, FRIENDLY FIRE FOLKS, FRIENDLY FIRE!” The announcer chattered. Katara glared back at Azula, her expression seething and red with rage. 

“Y-you—!”

She didn’t have time for this. “Watch out next time!” Azula called before focusing her attention back on the battle. She countered another disc with a fist of orange flame, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. 

“We’re teammates, you idiot—!” 

“Katara! Eyes on the prize!” With several rapid-fire discs, Toph sent the Black Quarry waterbender flying off into the water beyond the arena. 

“ONE DOWN FROM BLACK QUARRY, ONE DOWN!” 

It seemed like all easy sailing from there. Kiro and Lazu, the latter finally coming back to his senses, had shifted to full-on defense against three advancing benders. Toph was situated in the center of the zone they advanced into, while Azula and Katara were lingering one zone behind. Out of the corner of her eye, Azula spotted a stream of water arcing from behind and narrowly managed to dodge it. It had barely missed her face.

There was only one waterbender left in the game. 

When Azula dared to look behind, Katara’s face was dark. “You should watch out next time,” she said. 

To Azula’s dismay, the waterbender drew a thick, continuous stream of water from the grates and hurled it directly at Azula. She used her fire—orange, flickering blue at the edges—to boost herself off the ground, narrowly avoiding Katara’s water whip. 

It flew in an arc—briefly suspended in the air, glinting harshly in the lighting—before smacking Toph off the platform and over the edge. Her yells faded as she was plunged into the pool below. 

The arena was overcome with stunned silence. Katara covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide. 

“LOOKS LIKE THE MIGHTY TOPH HAS BEEN BESTED NOT BY HER OPPONENTS, BUT BY HER FRIEND!” The Black Quarry benders reacted fast, and there was little Azula could do. She watched as Katara was hit by two simultaneous attacks and thrown into the water. The platform once again flashed green. “THE TIDES HAVE TURNED, AND HOW IT’S TWO TO ONE IN FAVOR OF BLACK QUARRY. ADVANCE!” 

That damned green light flashed again, and before Azula could refocus her vision she was struck simultaneously by both fire and earth. She managed to break her fall, though it hardly did any good; she had fallen back to Zone Two, and the Black Quarry members were stepping over onto her team’s side. This time she closed her eyes before the lights came on. 

“THIS IS THE TWIST OF THE CENTURY FOLKS! WILL OUR NEWCOMER PREVAIL AGAINST THE ODDS, OR WILL THE AIR BISONS BECOME HISTORY?” 

Azula shifted on the defensive. As agile as she was, Black Quarry-ers were not infamous in the probending field for nothing. The remaining duo was hounding her viciously: Kiro shooting earthen disks at her ankles, Lazu throwing fire at her head. Their strategy was to prevent her from getting a solid foothold for offense and, to Azula’s chagrin, it was working. If they kept it up, they’d tire her before she even managed to lay a single hit on them. 

Not to mention that she was having trouble controlling her fire. Blue fire came naturally to Azula nowadays, so much so that suppressing the temperature to burn orange required extra concentration. The extra chi coiled inside of her, too much to contain, and she exhaled a small tongue of blue when she was forced to retreat into the final zone. She has no chance of winning, at this rate. Unless...

_You want a twist? I’ll give you a twist. _

The Black Quarry had barely finished advancing when Kiro was attacked by several jabs of fire, aimed perfectly to disrupt his center of gravity. When he teetered, a fireball the size of his head struck him in the torso, sending him skidding just past the center line and into Zone 2 on his side. 

The fire burned hotter than any bender-made fire he ever knew, and when he glanced at the charred center of what should’ve been flame-resistant clothing, the flames burning out were _blue_. 

Azula’s foot teetered arena edge as she drew in her kata and her balance, assessing her surroundings in a fraction of a second. Across from her, Lazu’s eyes widened, his face twisting into an ugly amalgamation of fury and contempt as he punched flames. Azula flipped across them, using her momentum send the opposing firebender back with a flaming kick. As much as she’d like to rid herself of the earthbender first, gaining ground first put her in a safer position to do that. 

The arena lit green yet again as , though no announcement accompanied it. Azula looked up to see the man standing in the balcony, slack-jawed in stunned stupor. The audience, however, was getting agitated. She had expected some people to know what blue flames boded. 

Azula had to finish this quickly. 

If her father taught her anything, it was that everyone has a weakness, and an opponent’s advantage could be exploited if you knew where to strike. Azula deflected Kiro’s next projectile at an angle. Her flames hit it with enough blunt force that it shattered into shrapnel, straight into Lazu. 

_Ten men together make an army, ten men separated just ten men. _Now with Lazu distracted, Azula directed all her attacks on Kiro. 

The earth bender wasn’t Toph, but still a master earthbender in his own right. Unfortunately for him, using a disk as a shield hardly negates the concussive impact of a close-ranged explosion. The arena flared a brilliant azure, and when light show cleared he had already been thrown into the pool below. 

Lazu roared as he threw gusts of flame at Azula, who parted them with ease. There was a reason why she left the firebender for last; with Zuko as her brother and Ozai as her father, she was very experienced in facing off firebenders. 

He fell into the water with a thunderous splash, and the audience roared. 

Azula looked up into the stands. She had been so focused in the heat of battle that she hadn’t paid attention to any onlooker reactions. The audience wasn’t roaring for her. They were jeering, pointing at her in accusation like a jury in a condemned man’s courtroom. 

The announcer decided to add in his own worthless opinion. “HEY, ISN’T THAT OZAI’S DAUGHTER?” Someone in the audience shouted “She deserves a cell next to her father!” followed by a series of boos.

People were beginning to leave the stands. A harried referee tried to salvage the situation. “Ma’am I need you to remove yourself from this building—”

“No need.” A voice came from behind Azula, familiar and coldly resolute. She turned around to spot Katara approaching from the arena entrance, Toph not far behind. They had both shed the probending gear and were now wearing their traditional clothing. Katara glanced at the referee, ice edging her next words. “Azula is one of us, and we’ll leave as a team. And—” This she directed toward the announcer. “—we’d like it if you don’t insult our members in the middle of a game.” 

Despite her usual quick wit, Azula had no idea how to respond. Toph came up and tugged on her wrist, as Katara turned back and stalked out of the arena. Azula followed. 

Both Katara and Toph had already packed away their equipment, so they waited wordlessly while Azula stripped off her gear. Once everything was gathered up, the two ushered her out the main doors. They weaved through the crowd of people exiting the building, lost in the clamor; Azula ducked her head, her bangs shielding the sides of her face. Luckily, no one recognized her. 

Once they broke out of the crowd, Katara broke out in a jog towards downtown Republic City, forcing Azula to run to catch up. Toph appeared beside her. “Are you okay with heading to the Jasmine Dragon?” 

The Jasmine Dragon was her uncle Iroh’s tea chain, opened after Grandfather Azulon died; Iroh had to fund it with his own savings since Ozai received the lion’s share of Azulon’s inheritance. Zuko had worked there after getting disowned by their father. “I’ve never been to it, but there’s a first time for everything.”

.  
.

Amid the bustle of this part of downtown, the interior of the Jasmine Dragon had a calm, almost quaint atmosphere to it, the air laced with a fragrance of teas. Dim lanterns served as the only light sources, illuminating the detailed of gilded eastern dragons inlaid across green walls. Most of the patrons had cleared out after lunch, and the only person besides them was a cleaner wiping the tables. He hurriedly approached them and asked for their orders: licorice root for Katara, chrysanthemum for Toph, and jasmine oolong for Azula.

After everyone ordered, the trio sat down on one of the vacant tables. Azula tensed when she noticed Katara studying her, face devoid of emotion. 

Then she sighed, deflating. “Let me see your hands,” she said. 

Hands…? Azula looked down and unclenched fists she hadn’t known she was making. Her nails had punctured the skin of her palm, leaving little crescent-shaped welts of blood. She slid them under the table. 

Katara’s lips thinned, an expression that left no room for protest. She grabbed her water bottle from her pack and uncapped it. “Let me see them.” she repeated. 

Azula let Katara see her hands. 

The feel of water pulsing like a living vein on her cuts was unnerving, so Azula tried to distract herself. “I’d hate to be the party pooper, but that spectacle you put earlier on won’t do any good to your popularity.” 

“Don’t worry your pompous butt over it. Between Sugar Queen, Sparky, and I, we’ve had our fair share of spectacles.” Toph propped her feet up on the table, only to take them off again when Katara smacked her. “What matters is that we keep our winning streak. You did pretty good with that today, even if I think you shouldn’t’ve held back”

Azula was not convinced. “You should’ve just left me.” Why would two strangers defend her? She had just met them; even her own family was never this supportive. 

“Don’t say that.” When Katara withdrew her water, the new tissue was nearly indistinguishable from the skin around it. “You’re part of the team now, whether you like it or not. The fact that you sacrificed your identity to win proved it. Zuko used to get those same insults back when his scar was fresh and angry like a brand...and...”

The waterbender sighed. “I guess I lost sight that you grew up in the same household he did, just because I saw you beside him in the courtroom. When Toph and I were alone in the waiting room, she reminded me of how manipulative Ozai was, even to his own children. He dangled his approval like a treat to be earned. For the longest time, Zuko wanted nothing more than to please him—even when he came to us bruised and scarred, he told us that it was his fault and Ozai was justified in punishing him. Not to mention your mother went missing when you were both so young.” 

“He took my mother away from me, but I’ve had parents who truly loved me. You didn’t have any to begin with.” 

Katara extended her hand. “I’d like to give an apology for the way I acted earlier. And while… while I can’t forgive what you and Ozai did to my mom, I’m willing to see past that, at least with you.” Her words were reluctant, but the fact she managed them was impressive. It’s more than anyone else has offered Azula in a long, long time. 

A waiter came, bearing three cups and teapots filled with steaming tea. Azula took her pot and poured herself a cup. She didn’t accept Katara’s outstretched hand; the forgiveness wasn’t hers to take. 

“As much as I’d like to say that Fa-Ozai blackmailed me, he didn’t.” She closed her eyes, wondering why she was telling them this. “After Mother left, he’s taken care of me, supported me. My lies are what got him out of any charges, but it was he who showed me know to do that. He taught me everything I knew. I’m aware you despise him with every inch of your being, but he’s still my father and that trail was ripping what’s left of my family apart.” 

She opened her eyes, gauging their reactions. “Though I suppose I went against that policy, when I provided witness testimony after he burned Zuko’s face. He was in the hospital for weeks. I wasn’t allowed to see him, but it was apparently severe enough that his doctors refused to have him testify.” It was hard to forget the betrayal in Father’s eyes the moment she walked into the courtroom; talking about that brought up a myriad of bad memories, so she took a sip of her drink (as a firebender, she was impervious to the heat) to calm her nerves. “It was a gamble. Ozai had a very competent lawyer and I was still in his custody at the time; if he had won the case I knew... there’d be hell to pay. It’s hard to even the most competent lawyer to explain a handprint the size of an adult’s branded on a child’s face though, and my presence cinched the deal. In a way, it’s my lies that helped him evade arrest, and my truth that got him incarcerated.” 

The cup clattered loudly in the ensuing silence. Katara opened her mouth before closing it, tongue-tied. Toph seized the conversation in her own blunt way. 

“Well, aren’t we all glad for that!” She tried to sock Azula, though the firebender evaded her fist. “By the way, what do I keep hearing about your “blue flames”? Katara told me they’re a different color but I don’t see what the big death is.” To emphasize her point, Toph gestured toward her eyes. 

Azula rolled her eyes. She could see Katara shooting a grateful glance at Toph, though the earthbender had no way of knowing. “It burns hotter than most firebenders—something to do with the frequency of the light emitted if you want a more thorough explanation. All experienced firebenders can actually make their flames burn blue, it just costs so much energy that it isn’t economic to do so. I’m the first firebender in centuries to be able to sustain it.”

“Hmph. I still think you should’ve let ‘em have it, Thunder. What’s the point of having power when you can’t use it?”

_There’s a lot of reasons to conceal blue fire,_ Azula almost retorted, before she was distracted by something else. “Thunder? Is this your poor attempt at trying to complement me to ‘Sparky’?” 

Toph didn’t take the jab. “More or less.” She patted the edge of her cup and, deeming it of sufficient warmth, downed her tea in one gulp. “From what I’ve seen from you, you tend to have a ripple effect around you. The air, the audience…hell, even Sugar Queen’s heart beat up a hurricane when she saw you.” 

“I was _angry_, Toph, knock it off.” There was still a tension in Katara’s shoulders; Azula could see her hesitation, the way she only waterbent her tea instead of drinking it. “Speaking of knocking off. Azula, we’re your teammates, and we look out for each other. Which means not shooting at each other, even if you’re trying to attack the enemy.” 

Despite her blindness, Toph pulled off surprisingly good eye roll. “Says the girl who knocked me out of the ring today.” 

“It was a mistake on my end,” Azula cut in before things got out of hand (Katara looked like she was going to whip her tea at Toph), “I apologize. This match has been a learning experience for all of us, and there are quite a few things we can do differently in the future.” She held her hand out, this time as a peace gesture. “Deal?”

Toph jumped in with enthusiasm. Azula glanced at Katara, who was worrying her lower lip. The waterbended exhaled, smiled, and closed the circle. “Deal.”

.  
.

After they parted, Azula went to the local supermarket to buy some groceries. She arrived back at her apartment well after dusk.

To her surprise, the living room was dimly lit. Zuko sat on the sofa, illuminating the contours of his scar with firebending. Azula frowned. “You should be asleep by now.” 

“Couldn’t.” Zuko shrugged, propping his broken leg on a cushion while Azula began to put away the groceries. After Ozai’s arrest, Zuko had been old enough to apply as her guardian, and the two were able to put aside their childhood competition to get along. Her brother ended up being the main breadwinner, considering how employers rejected Azula for her connection to their father. Hopefully, Azula thought, that would change. “How was it? Katara’s really sweet, but Toph has a habit of harassing people.” 

“Unexpected.” Understatement of the century. “Everything worked out in the end though.” 

“That’s rough, buddy. But I’m glad you all get along.” Zuko got up only to wince as his injured leg hit the floor. Azula tossed him his crutches. “Thanks. Since this stupid thing—I know, I know, I’m only making it worse by moving around—isn’t going to heal anytime soon, you’ll have to sub in for me for the entire tournament. Is that okay?” 

It would be a challenge, now that her identity was out. But this time, Azula thought, she won’t need to face it alone. 

“I wouldn’t have liked it any other way.”


End file.
